Giant lump at the very top of my throat. Help or advice?

Sorry you are going through all this…unfortunately, I don’t have info…but a lot of us have the milder throat-clearing version, where it’s just ambient acid, etc. causing that symptom….i try to be careful about not lying down for awhile after meals…and am guessing that extra hydrating might not hurt. I would like to hear from others here—-

Have you had an upper endoscopy?

@gravity3 i have not but thinking that might be the next step. I have an appt with my ENT next week so im going to really try to get him to listen to my symptoms. up until now, he’s just contributed my symptoms to my sinus issues but it doesn’t explain my nausea and weight loss.

@brcc
I ask only because I have had several similar symptoms and I was referred for an upper endoscopy and a large polyp was found in my duodenum. When I had my first consult the nurse practitioner told me that she wished everyone would have an upper endoscopy. You might ask your doc for a referral to gastroenterology and that you need to get to the bottom of these symptoms.

Welcome to Connect, @brcc. Your post really resonated with me. I’ve had a combination of throat, breathing and digestive symptoms, along with weight loss, that has been difficult to make sense of. I remember how hard it was when I didn’t know what was connected, which specialist might be able to help, or even where to look next.

I want to be careful saying that because I still don’t know that what I have experienced is the same as what you are experiencing. I’m not on the other side of it with an answer, but I have made so much progress. I do understand how difficult it can be to have very real symptoms and not understand how—or if—they fit together.

It sounds like you’re already doing something important by preparing to talk with your ENT about the symptoms that don’t seem to fit the explanation you’ve been given. Something that has helped me is having specialists look beyond just their own piece and, when possible, work together. Sometimes progress has come not from getting an answer at an appointment, but from learning what that specialist can explain, what they can rule out, and what needs to be explored next.

You might consider writing out your symptoms and questions before the appointment so you can make sure the ENT understands the whole picture, including the weight loss. Are there one or two symptoms that concern you most or that you especially want help understanding?

@brcc You should see a gastroenterologist (not just an ENT, and maybe also do general testing with your GP)

I currently see a functional medical physician. That’s an MD who looks for the solutions to conditions rather than just treating the symptoms. While you have to pay out of pocket since most insurance companies do not cover their fees it is worth it.

@lgell thank you for the response. I’ve been considering this approach as i’m so tired of not being listened to. Weirdly enough alot of the symptoms i’m experiencing also coincide with sinus problems so i feel like my ent is just treating it as such without considering that reflux could be a large contributor in my symptoms. I just don’t understand why dr’s just treat symptoms instead looking for the cause. It’s so frustrating.

@jlharsh thank you for responding! All good ideas and i have made a list of symptoms to go over him with, i just hope he listens. I’m so tired of being dismissed and not heard.
One of my biggest frustrations is seeing all these different specialists and getting different answers from all of them. I wish we lived in a world where all dr’s worked together with a patient to find a solution.
Best of luck to you on your journey and i hope you also get some answers.

@brcc

Maybe this will not apply to you but don't be shy about letting him know if you do not feel he had listened and/or understood you.